Former Londonderry church nursery school director indicted for theft

BRENTWOOD – The former director of a church nursery school in Londonderry has been indicted for allegedly embezzling roughly $18,000 before she resigned from her post last year.

Lisa Wallace, 42, of Wakefield, Mass., was indicted on a single count of theft by unauthorized taking for pilfering the money between Sept. 4, 2008, and June 9, 2012, according to prosecutors.

The Diocese of Manchester contacted Londonderry police in April when an internal audit showed that money had been missing from St. Mark Evangelist Church, according to police.

The thefts began soon after she was hired as the director of The Evangelist Nursery School in September 2008 and continued after her departure last June, according to court records and police.

A grand jury returned the felony indictment against her earlier this month in Rockingham County Superior Court. The indictment became public this week.

Wallace is facing up to 3 1/2 to 7 years in state prison and a $4,000 fine if she is convicted by a jury, according to the indictment.

Wallace had resigned from her job sometime last June. Londonderry police arrested her roughly a year later after a two-month investigation.

She has remained free on $5,000 cash bail since her arrest.

Police said that Wallace had access to the church's bank accounts while working as the nursery director, and allegedly used an ATM card to withdraw money for her own personal use instead of supplies for the nursery school.

Investigators first estimated the alleged embezzlement to total about $16,000 during Wallace's four years at the school, but another $2,400 was withdrawn from the bank account after Wallace left her job, according to police.

Wallace was employed at the nursery school from September 2008 until June 2012, and had sole control over the school's finances, according to the Diocese of Manchester.

Some of the purchases that Wallace made included $1,500 at a Londonderry nail salon, a clothing store and Dunkin' Donuts, according to investigators.

She will be arraigned on the theft charge Oct. 24 in Rockingham County Superior Court if she chooses not to waive the hearing in advance.